There were numerous white people who felt that since blackface is and always will be, considered racist, the same thing should apply for the shoe on the opposite foot. Blackface has historic context behind it, dating back to the post-slavery era where white entertainers openly mocked African-Americans.

Whiteface, (a term Cannon even questioned the authenticity of) doesn’t have the historical context to emit the same negative connotations.

Speaking of history, we over at Hip-Hop Wired found 11 Black celebrities who appeared in whiteface over the years–much to the public’s delight.

If Nick Cannon’s heeding of the racial boundary should apply to his album promo stunt, shouldn’t these instances too?